WARNING: This piece deals in emotionally dark and possibly disturbing themes.

A Mastodon writing prompt story. These are science fiction short stories (usually 480 characters or less), based on an image generated by EW Doc Parris using MidJourney.

The stories are originally posted on Mastodon via my personal account.

Originally published May 25, 2023.

It’s not a life, it’s just living. Each time something stops working or is too damaged, we get another so-called ‘upgrade’. I’m tired. At some point it needs to end, but they won’t let it. The audience demands their show and there hasn’t been a new competitor in a century.

I’m tired, but I’m up next. I sigh, rise, and my new legs carry me to the arena. How much damage would finally end it all?